Orangewood Christian's Bryant 'B.J.' Welch chooses Youngstown State

By By Chris Hays | Orlando Sentinel

Bryant “B.J.” Welch was pretty pumped up last week when he officially committed to Youngstown State University in Ohio. It meant he was officially going to be the first person in the Welch family to go to college.

Things were looking kind of bleak last spring for Welch, who ended up having to leave Apopka High, but with a suggestion from Apopka coach Rick Darlington, he found a place at Orangewood with former Edgewater head coach Bill Gierke.

“Yeah things weren’t going well with me and the coach and stuff at Apopka,” Welch said. “Actually coach Darlington told me about Orangewood and I was looking at Evans before I finally ended up at Orangewood.”

He had to watch this past season as his former teammates made their run all the way to the Class 8A state championship.

“It was difficult [to watch] but I’m happy for my brothers over there,” Welch said. “I was really happy for them. I watched the state game and I watched the DP game and every playoff game.

“But I felt like I had an awesome year. Everything worked out good and I have Coach Gierke to thank for that.”

Welch averaged about 10 tackles per game for Orangewood this past season and he’ll play the Will outside linebacker spot at Youngstown.

“I went on the visit and it was very family-oriented and the whole situation felt good … the coaching staff, the facilities, everything, and I felt it was the right thing to do. I felt at home,” he said. “I committed while I was there.”

Welch, 5-foot-10, 183 pounds, also had a few other schools expressing interest.

“I had offers from Youngstown, Elon, Illinois State, Marshall and UCF,” he said. “I went to Elon and also had an unofficial to UCF and I was going to visit Illinois State, but I’m not going.

“I feel great … all the stress is off me now. My mom is happy, the family is happy, so I’m happy.”

There is one other Welch out there looking for a possible college football future. Linebacker James Welch at Orlando Evans is B.J.'s cousin and he has a few options to check out.